Tree Speaker
by Kya Firestone
Summary: Sequal to Forest Born by Shannon Hale. She owns all the characters. The trees are hounding Rin as she gets more talented with them. Rin and Scandlan. Full summary inside.
1. Chapter 1

**Tree Speaker**

**A fanfiction sequel to Forest Born by Shannon Hale**

Rin still struggles with tree speech and people speaking. The two used to balance each other, but the trees are harassing her more than ever. Now at the age of eighteen, Rin leaves the forest once again, to go to the city. She goes to the City not to escape her family, but to find refuge. She needs Enna, Isi, and Dasha, the fire sisters, to help her find a speech to balance the trees. Though it pains her to be so connected to the trees, she grows more skilled with them. She not only listens now, but she also asks. She can ask a tree to grow in one place or another. She can encourage them to grow faster.

When she gets to the city she is greeted by Geric and not Isi. For Isi, Enna, Dasha, and her brother Razo traveled to Kel to visit King Scandlan. The Twenty-six year old King of Kel and a man Rin comforted in his evil wife Selia's death. Geric sends her off with a horse and supplies as she makes her quick journey to Kel.

When she travels through the woods, she becomes weaker, because of the trees harassment. Thankfully she sent word ahead that she was coming. As she rides, she falls off her horse from weakness.

King Scandlan himself comes to rescue the kind girl he had come to love, in the short amount of time he had known her.

Rin makes the rest of the way to Kel unconscious. What she discovers in Kel is life threatening to her. Someone doesn't like the idea of her speaking to trees. For the one who speaks to trees, speaks to life.

Chapter One Journey to the Capitol

"Rinna." Her ma says. "Why must you leave us time and time again?"

"Ma, you know I've been sick. It's the trees. They won't leave me alone. People Speaking isn't working to help balance like it used to."

"Very well, then. You'd best be on your way." Rin hugged her ma then. Loving the warmth that spread though her in her mother's embrace. "Goodbye my sweet girl." Rin left then, so she wouldn't be convinced to stay. She climbed onto her horse Fern and kicked her into a gallop.

_Lady of trees._ Oh no, she thought, here it comes. _Rin. Rinna Lady Rin. Queen Rinna._ She wills the voice away and just allows the presence of the trees to comfort her.

_Beet, beet, beet. A leaf falls. Beet, beet, beet. Roots stretch. Beet, beet, beet. Hooves fall on our roots._

"Ho, there, Rin!" A city accent called. Rin searched in front of her. King Geric comes riding towards her. "I've got a message."

"Why did you come and not send a messenger?"

"Gilsa was lecturing me, on how to hold a baby." His face is defensive. "I know how to hold my boy."

"I am sure you do, now what was the message?"

"Our fire sisters would like your company in Kel."

"I was just headed into the city to see them, now I hear they're in another country." She sighs heavily.

"I've brought you a map." Geric pulls a rolled up parchment out of his bag and hands it hesitantly to Rin.

"I can read, silly city boy." She laughs as she grabs it from him. "Give Tusken a kiss for me! She calls, riding off in the opposite direction.


	2. Chapter 2 Speach

Chapter Two

Speech

_Beet, beet, beet. Hooves falling on roots. Roots joining, old trees twisting together. A bird lands on my branch, a woodpecker. _

Rin comes to a stop after riding for hours and lays out her bedroll. She lies down and drifts off into a peaceful sleep, thankful the trees aren't speaking to her at the moment.

_The trees are burning. Fire everywhere. Each time a tree falls, Rin feels it. She feels the fire searing her skin, even though it is not touching her. Another tree falls. It lands in front of her and behind it, perched on a horse, is…_And thankfully that is where Rin's dream ends. She does not want to know who it was, burning all the trees, but she knows, it was to hurt her. Rin rolls up her mat and puts it back in Fern's saddlebag. She pats her neck. This horse, she likes. She was present at her birth. Just like Isi was with Avlado and Fallada. Rin had heard the whole story of Isi's braveness.

Rin's thoughts wonder as she rides into the first town of Kel. The one on Bayer's border. Rin calls out to a woman in Kellish tongue, thankful that Isi taught her. She asks how far it is to Castle Diare. The woman answered. A night's ride. Rin thanks her and begins to leave. The woman calls out in Bayern tongue, realizing that is where Rin is from.

"You would be more than welcome to stay with me and my family, good lady." Once again a thought springs into Rin's tree infested thoughts. _Speak on,_ King Scandlan had said. The thought to this day, still scares Rin. And now she has a woman offering her home, at the sound of Rin's voice.

"The good lady would be you." She replies, keeping her tone light and lairing her accent her accent thick, as if to blotch out the people speaking. "I will ride on, but thank you."

"Safe travels!" She calls off.

Rin rides back into the trees and continues northeast, with the direction of the trees. She rides for what seems like hours, but she knows it has not been long.

_Beet. Beet. Beet. Beet. Beet, beet, beet, beet, beet, beet, beet. A leaf falls, lady Rinna. Lady Rinna of the Trees. Hearer of our thoughts. River water washing our roots. Rain water conserved in our leaves. Night air cooling out bark._ Pain sweeps into Rin's head. She is not able to stay upright on her horse. She falls, plummeting to the earth. Soft roots weave under her, making a soft bed. Even the trees soothing thoughts aren't enough to keep the blackness from clouding in.


	3. Chapter 3 Scandlan

Chapter Three

Scandlan

"You seem as if you are teen feet above the clouds Scandlan." Dasha laughs. Razo plants a fat wet kiss on the back of her neck, coming into the dining hall.

"I must say the same for you, Lady Dasha." He chuckles as she blushes.

"Oh, you two." Isi says. Enna butts in.

"He's just excited, for Lady Rinna, the girl who smells so sweetly of tree sap," She says sarcastically over to Scandlan as his face turns deep red. "And champion wrestler." She looks over at Razo and he glares back.

"She surprised me!" he wines.

"Your sister actually wrestled you down. You beet a Tiran in a wrestling match, but you couldn't beet little Rin?" Isi and Enna burst out into deep laughter. The laugh so hard tears come to their eyes and they hold onto each other.

"Little?" Razo says exasperated. "She's almost a full head taller then me!"

"If I must say so, you are not helping yourself one bit, my friend." Scandlan pipes in. The room erupts in laughter. Finn enters the room. Just as everyone is almost done laughing. Not knowing what to do, he jumps in the laughing. They all stop and Finn is left awkwardly.

"Did I miss something?" He asks. Enna comes over to him and kisses him solidly on the mouth. He grabs her instantly and kisses her back. Enna only meant to distract him, but she as well, falls into the kiss. After several moments of this, they break apart at loud throat clearing.

"So," Finn says coming to sit down. "A maid found me this morning and said a messenger came two days ago with word from Rin. I'm worried. She sent the letter from Callfron, three days ago. It's only a night's ride from here."

"I'll send a search party in the woods, this very moment." Scandlan get up from his seat, his face serious.

"Get me four horses! Prepare them and have them ready in the stables ten minutes ago!"

"Yes, sire." The maid leaves the room. Her voice is faintly heard as it calls out Scandlan's orders.

"Finn, I'll be back in no time." Enna says as Finn grips her arm. Razo does the same to Dasha.

"If there is any trouble, we'll burn them where they stand. We'll be safe." Dasha says soothingly. Enna on the other hand says,

"If man, so much as touches me, I grab his manhood and burn him from that point up…" she hesitates. "Slowly." Finn kisses her hand then and lets her go.

Isi, Dasha, and Enna mount their horses.

"I'll ride out Southwest. Enna, you'll ride out Southeast, Dasha west, Isi east." Scandlan gives the orders and they all ride off, praying that nothing has happened to their tree speaker. Their friend.


	4. Chapter 4 Rin

Chapter four

Rin

_So peaceful. I think I'll stay here for a while._ She thinks. _The breeze is just so nice and the trees, so soothing. I feel no harassment. Have the trees gone back to hating me?_

"Rin?" a heavy voice asks. Maybe the trees still like her. _A man stands on our roots. A man holds you our lady._

"Rinna? Come back to me." The voice is distinctly male, laced with a thick Kellish accent.

"Scandlan." She groans, rolling on her side, in pain. He reaches under her warm small body, holding her to his chest.

"Shh." He says rocking her as she breaks out in sobs. "I am here now, little speaker." He sooths as he strokes her hair. "You are safe. The wind blows strong and the tree next to them groans. Rin shudders and Scandlan tightens his hold on her, as he pulls her into a cradle in his arms. He walks with her to his horse and comes up short. He looks down. Tree roots are spun around Rin's ankles. The tree that they're connected to groans again. Rin lets out a painful sob.

"Make it go away." She murmurs. "MAKE IT GO AWAY!" Then he realizes. The trees are hounding her the same way, the wind did Isi, and the water did to Dasha, and the fire did to Enna. She needs to learn how to balance them.

"Shh. Shh." He soothes. "It will be over soon. I'll make it go away." He lays his lips gently on his forehead. The second they make contact, Scandlan sees everything. Everything Rin can see. Not see, but _feel_. He feels the delicate network of roots beneath the ground. He feels which one is holding Rin. He moves to the side, lips still against her skin, and stomps hard. The roots instantly retreat into the ground. He holds her tighter to his chest, and moves quickly to his horse. He jumps on and holds Rin as still as possible, cradled in his lap.


	5. Chapter 5 Awoken

Chapter Five

Awoken

"Rinna?" The thick Kellish accent is the first thing she recognizes. "Oh, Rin, please wake up."

"She is still not awake?" Isi!

"It's been three days." Scandlan. A rush of memories flood into her mind. The trees were talking too much and too loud. The pain was excruciating. And then there was no pain. The lightest feather touch of lips to skin, took all the pain away. Scandlan took the pain away.

"Be patient." Isi scolds. "She'll wake up when she is ready." Rin's ears make out retreating footsteps.

Hot breath is against her ear. "Come back little tree speaker. Speak to my heart again." Rin tries to respond, but her mouth won't open. Mustering up all the strength she has, Rin peels her eyelids back. Everything is blurry.

"Scandlan?" she groans. Then everything is black again. She finds that her face is pressed up to hard lean muscle.

"You're finally awake." He murmurs into her hair.

"You waited?" She asks, confused.

"Three days, my little speaker. I was so worried."

Rin is about to speak, when suddenly his lips descend over hers. His kiss is so soft. So gentle, it could have made Rin cry. She pushes her lips up, and kisses him back. His arms encircle her waist. Rin has waited for so long, to be held, to be touched, to be kissed _this_ way. She has waited so long for this feeling. Lighting. She feels like a tree who has just been struck by lightning. Fire. Fire is everywhere. Everywhere Scandlan's hands move, there is fire, burning with white hot desire.

She moves her arms around his neck, and twines her finger in that soft red-brown hair. Scandlan leans, lies on the bed next to her, and kisses her once more, before curling his arms around her. He watches this beautiful black haired, Forest Born girl, all night as she slept in his arms.


	6. author's note

Author's note: Sorry I haven't posted in a while, but I'm a very busy person and I've been traveling all over the place with my dad to find publishers, and agents, because I'm _so close_ to getting my real book published. I promise I'll have more chapters for my others stories up in the next two weeks.


End file.
